Identification of the Backsheet Type of Silicon Photovoltaic Modules from Encapsulant Fluorescence Images

Feasibility of the identification of backsheet (BS) composition of field-aged Si photovoltaic (PV) modules based on the analysis of characteristic patterns of UV-excited fluorescence (UVF) of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer encapsulant is shown. The approach includes BS identification by vibrational spectroscopies and the formation of a database of BS-related characteristic UVF patterns. A multivariate principal component analysis of the UVF images of unknown samples combined with the UVF pattern database allows the BS type to be identified only from UVF images. The geometric place of particular samples in the principal component plots is indicative of the general degradation status of PV modules. The proposed method can be applied for high-throughput noncontact characterization of solar PV plants.

Automated summary

The feasibility of identifying the backsheet composition of field-aged Si photovoltaic modules was demonstrated by analyzing the characteristic patterns of UV-excited fluorescence of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer encapsulant. The approach involves the use of vibrational spectroscopies to identify the backsheet and the creation of a database of characteristic UV-excited fluorescence patterns. By employing multivariate principal component analysis on the UV-excited fluorescence images of unknown samples, combined with the UV-excited fluorescence pattern database, the backsheet type can be identified solely from UV-excited fluorescence images. The geometric position of specific samples in the principal component plots indicates the overall degradation status of photovoltaic modules.